Howard held in Orlando but many move before NBA trade deadline

Dwight Howard agreed to stay at Orlando Magic but plenty of other big men were on the move on Thursday before the NBA's trade deadline.

Nene, JaVale McGee and Marcus Camby were among the centers who found new homes.

Denver dealt Nene to Washington, just three months after re-signing the Brazilian to a five-year, $67million (£42.6m) contract.

Hold fire: Dwight Howard remains at Orlando Magic

The Wizards sent JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf to Denver and Nick Young to the Los Angeles Clippers, trading away two of their talented, young, but sometimes immature players. Washington also picked up forward Brian Cook in the deal.

The New Jersey Nets had long been favourite to land Howard, who told the Magic before the season he wanted to be traded, listing the Nets as one of his choices. He was eligible for free agency this summer, and Orlando risked losing him for nothing.

Instead, he agreed to waive the early termination option in his contract, committing to stay with the Magic through the 2012-13 season.

Should I stay or should I go: Nene (left) moved to Washington, while Mark Gasol (right) stayed at the Lakers

'Now we can get back to playing basketball and having some peace and trying to win a championship,' Howard said.

'I feel like we have a chance to win and I didn't feel like either one of us should give that up.'

It was a relatively quiet trade
deadline, with teams wary of taking on long-term contracts with the more
punishing luxury tax rules in the NBA's new collective bargaining
agreement.

With the lockout pushing the deadline back from its usual February spot to mid-March, teams had a little more time to decide whether they were really contenders and a move was worth it.

Big names such as the Lakers' Pau Gasol and the Celtics' Rajon Rondo - along with the rest of Boston's top players - stayed put after all had been linked elsewhere.

Gasol got a new team-mate to feed him the ball, however, with the Lakers getting younger at point guard, acquiring Ramon Sessions from Cleveland and sending veteran Derek Fisher to Houston.

Los Angeles, sitting at third place in the Western Conference, needed an upgrade at the point before potentially facing All-Stars Russell Westbrook, Tony Parker or Chris Paul in the post-season.

Sessions had been backing up No 1 draft pick Kyrie Irving in Cleveland, but the Lakers had their eye on him for months.

They got him and forward Christian Eyenga for reserves Luke Walton and Jason Kapono.

Transfer: Cleveland's Ramon Sessions has moved to the Lakers

Fisher, the Lakers' starting point guard the last five years, was sent to Houston along with a first-round pick for Jordan Hill.

The Rockets also landed Camby from the busy Trail Blazers for point guard Jonny Flynn, center Hasheem Thabeet and a second-round draft pick.

Swingmen Stephen Jackson and Richard Jefferson were also swapped in a Spurs-Warriors deal, and the Nets picked up Gerald Wallace from Portland.

Jackson was on the move again, just days after Milwaukee had shipped him to the Warriors along with Australian center Andrew Bogut for a package highlighted by Monta Ellis. Jackson was sent to the Spurs, yet another of his former homes.

The Indiana Pacers acquired Brazilian guard Leandro Barbosa from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for a second-round draft pick and cash considerations.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers got Sam Young from the Memphis Grizzlies for the rights to Ricky Sanchez of Puerto Rico.